Some say the world will end in fire, others say in ice

I disagree with Frost. I think the world will come to an end out of its own stupidity. See exhibits a, b and c below.

The news article in The New York Times on the recent National Intelligence Estimate report on Iran is not without an opinion. The article begins with a lede that clearly questions how the government could mess up yet again after already leading the country into war with Iraq based on false information. After the first two paragraphs, though, the article puts aside its indignation and recalls the facts--beginning with those of the past relating to Iraq and continuing to describe the methods used in this most recent report on Iran. Towards the middle of the article, the reporter turns to legislators to bring up the remaining doubts about the intelligence administrations' truthfulness or efficacy.

The Boston Globe sticks to a straightforward inverted-pyramid format in its article on the tanker truck explosion early this morning that set 40 cars and three residential buildings on fire and caused the evacuation of many residents in Everett. After answering the key questions--how much damage was done? was anybody hurt?--the article goes on to offer a few details to flesh out the picture. Some of the evacuated residents were in their pajamas. The fire was so hot it melted metal lampposts. By injecting these few details, the article crafts a scene that conveys a more visceral feeling of what happened than one could understand from the bare facts, but in doing so, it does not stray from the facts. It appears that the crash was caused by its driver's speeding, right after having fueled up. Smart move.

My annoyance at weather articles turns to amusement with one in The Washington Post today: an inch or two of snow has left the D.C. area struggling to regain its "snowlegs." The article reports that traffic is bad and the Metro is slow as a result of slippery conditions--yet despite the nearly whining tone of the lede, it does not say how much snow has already fallen. Perhaps it's still too slippery out for meteorologists to take a measurement.